Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Rock Building burns
CHATSWORTH — The Old Rock Building adjoining the temporary home of North Murray High School will likely have to be demolished after a fire gutted most of the structure on Saturday, officials said.
Investigators haven’t determined an official cause, but several fire and school officials said there was a lightning strike nearby that could have started the blaze around 2 p.m. The state fire marshal is scheduled to visit the site on Monday. No injuries were reported.
Murray County Fire Chief Dwayne Bain said his department, the Chatsworth department and Eton’s fire department all responded. There were already flames shooting out the building when the initial call came in, he said.
“It’s totally destroyed. Nothing but the rock walls is standing,” Bain said. “It’ll have to be torn down.”
The building was the first consolidated high school in Murray County, and one of the first in the state when it was built in 1934, Murray County historian Tim Howard said. In 2004, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several groups were scheduled to hold class reunions that were to include tours of the old building over the coming weeks. Those who attended during the 1930s were to hold a “diamond jubilee” celebration, Howard said, and the invitations for it went out in the past week.
Dean Donehoo, administrative services director for Murray County Schools, said the adjoining building used by North Murray High School was undamaged.
“The amount of rain helped protect the school,” said Donehoo, who was wet from head to toe as he stood on the Murray County High School parking lot, answering questions. “There’s no reason we won’t be back in business Monday.”
Donehoo said the school system used the building to store a few cafeteria tables, old desks and air filters.
In January 2008, history preservationists celebrated a partial renovation after spending $100,000 to put a new roof on the building. About $60,000 came from donations, and the rest was from the school system budget and education special purpose local option sales tax.
Bobby Mosteller, who helped raise money for the new roof, said there were a lot of memories in the building. He graduated there in 1949, and the 60th class reunion was planning to revisit the building the following Saturday, he said. Mosteller said his uncle was also involved in hauling rock to construct the building.
Howard said noted Murray County resident V.C. Pickering donated rocks from the Fort Mountain area to construct the walls of the building as his company was building Ga. 52 to Ellijay. Board of education members approved a plan in 1989 to eventually locate central office administration in the building, he said. There were plans for naming rooms after individuals who had helped found or donated to the school.
Howard said the building needed new wiring, windows, a heating and air system and new floors. The power to the building wasn’t on at the time of the fire, Donehoo said.
Several passers-by stopped at the campus on Saturday to find out what was going on.
Chatsworth resident Brenda Ellis got stuck there. Ellis said she pulled into the parking lot because her car flooded out after crossing the Ingles parking lot, parts of which were full of water from the heavy rains. She said she had a grandson who attends North Murray High School.
“This is just terrible,” Ellis said while waiting for a ride. “This was one of our oldest buildings.”
- Local News
-
-
Preparing for the big game
Kayla Webb, 15, performs a cheer with the varsity and junior varsity members of the North Murray cheerleading team Wednesday as they walk laps around the track at Murray High School. The team is getting ready for their first game of the season, scheduled for Aug. 20, a scrimmage against Murray High. Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen
- 2-year-old escapes serious injury
- Murray’s Reed is Educator of the Year
- Public will get ‘sneak peek’ at Crown Gardens and Archive work
- Floorcovering companies are keepin’ it green
-
